To Be King
by LightPhyre
Summary: Humans are a rare commodity on the Saiyan homeworld. And when you're caught... there's no escaping your future...
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

I live in a horrible world.

I'd rather not tell you about it, but you need to know what it was like to understand my story.

This world isn't like your world. It's not like Earth. It's home to a savage race—the Saiyans. They care nothing for anyone but themselves. It's a trait common to all of them. I've never met a Saiyan that cared about anything other than their own selfish desires and ambitions. They killed and raped and pillaged. They wanted money. They wanted power. They wanted women. It was the only thing on their minds. It seemed to me as if they could think of nothing else.

I don't belong to this race, and yet I live among them. You could say I'm a human. Here, I'm known as an Earthling. Earth was my home planet, but my first memories are all here, on this unnamed planet. I don't remember Earth. I must have been too young to have any memories of my short-lived time there.

My family is gone. I don't know if they're dead or if they were made slaves by the Saiyans. It's not uncommon for Earthlings to be made slaves here. It's also not uncommon to be killed. There are no real laws here. If you do something that people don't like, you could be punished for it, but it wouldn't be by an enforcers. It would be by other savages. Maybe because you took their dinner. Maybe because you beat them in a gamble. Maybe because you looked at them the wrong way.

Don't get me wrong, though. Living here was better than not living at all. If you knew how to avoid trouble, life wasn't all that bad. I'd spent most of my childhood learning how to avoid trouble, and now I'm pretty good at it. I know the types of people to stay away from, the buildings I shouldn't go near, and the areas that are off-limits to people who can't protect themselves. I spend my time in a small, run-down town in the middle of nowhere. I've been here for quite a while. Maybe a few years now.

It's a crappy little town, with old buildings with hanging shutters and broken windows. Not many people live here because of the conditions of the buildings, but it's a great place for people like me. There are a few others, and we all look out for each other. The Saiyans don't bother coming all the way out here, but when they do, we all know how to avoid them, and we help each other any way we can.

I even made a friend in this town. Her name is Chichi. She arrived not long ago; maybe a year or two ago. She hasn't really seen the hells that I've seen, but I think I've scared her enough with my stories. She understands the position she's in. I try to help her understand that things aren't always as bad as they seem, and occasionally I'll see her smile.

None of us came here by choice. We were almost wiped off the map on Earth, from what I've heard. There was an epidemic. Some disease was spreading rapidly throughout the entire population. Fortunately, we were into the development of space travel, and many of us could get off Earth and escape before we caught the disease. The bad part: we landed here. Our destination was supposed to be an uninhabited planet where we could start fresh. No one really knows why we ended up here instead. And this is all just from what I've heard. I don't even know if it's true or not.

Before I get into my story, I should explain the system of government on this planet. There is a single ruler, the King. The people don't see him and most of us don't even know his name. There's only one rule on this planet that is absolute, and it is if you can kill the King, you become the new ruler of this planet. Many Saiyans aspire to become the ruler, but none have succeeded, as far as I know. The King remains perched on his throne, unchallenged and unwavering in his position. It's hard to challenge a man when you don't even know who he is, though.

There are a group of people under the King that serve as a sort of government, but it certainly isn't a democracy within that group. Some are there just to be able to have a voice. Some are there for the paycheck. And a select few are there to speak with the King and deliver his orders to the rest of the population. Every member of this government is a Saiyan. It would be stupid to even think that an Earthling would have any power here.

In fact, Earthlings are rare creatures on this planet. We're often sold at high prices for multiple reasons. The women are sold as whores or maids. Or both. The men are sold as workers. The boys, maybe sex toys for some sick perverted old Saiyan with nothing better to do with himself. All I know for sure is that I would rather die than be captured and sold to the highest bidder. Terrible things happen to Earthlings who are taken in by the Saiyans. All of them that I've known have never come back. I never heard from any of them again, even after a good number of years.

Now, if you haven't been scared off yet by what I've told you, I believe my story is worth listening to. I like to say that it's the story of a lost girl who finds something unexpected in a horrible place, and then she's saved. But that wouldn't be entirely accurate. It's more like the story of a girl that could be saved, but chooses not to be, for the sake of free choice. And for someone very important to her. And in the end, she just might be saved anyway.

My name is Bulma Briefs. And this is my story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One: Pilot**

I sat in a rotting wooden rocking chair. It squeaked every time I leaned back. I could look out the broken glass window into the distance from inside this building. When I looked around inside, I could assume that it was once a lively tavern. The flipped tables and the shattered bottles scattered around the bar had been swept against the walls. It was dusty in here, too. I wanted to cough, but I was so used to being quiet that I stifled it down.

I turned around when a voice called from the opening that had once been a front door to the building.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, Bulma."

"Chichi," I said, forcing a smile. Chichi was my best friend. She had the shiniest black hair I'd ever seen, and sometimes she was too innocent to be in a place like this. "Sorry. Did you need me for something?"

"Dana and I are just moving some of the old furniture around in the basement below her house. She wanted to make a safe place we could all go if the Saiyans showed up here again. The last time was such a close call that she got all nervous. She wouldn't rest until I agreed to help her with this." Chichi giggled. "She's such an old lady."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Dana _is_ an old lady, Chichi. And I'll be right there to help. Where's Juuhachi and Launch? Why aren't they helping, too?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen them around for a while. Maybe they went to get water from the river. It's a long walk. Even if they left early this morning, they could still be out for a while. And I think we were running low on drinkable water anyway."

I shrugged and stood from the rocking chair, listening to it squeak as it rolled backwards and then stopped moving. Thinking for a moment, I wondered what Dana's basement was like. I'd never actually been down there. The one time I tried it was blocked off by so much debris that we couldn't get past the first step.

Chichi led the way and I followed her to Dana's house. This old town wasn't very big, so the walk was less than a half-minute long. It would take less than a minute to walk the whole town up and down, too. It was practically off the map, and that was just the way we liked it. Unnoticed was the best way to go around here.

"What was she planning, anyway? Is it supposed to be a food pantry or something?"

"She said that they used to have these things called bomb shelters back on Earth, and it was where people went if there was a danger of an explosion."

"We get explosions all the time, though, and they've never bothered Dana before. The Saiyans are always fighting and shaking the ground."

"She said that bomb shelters were for huge explosions that flattened miles and miles of ground. It was something that happened during wars between countries or something, and the land would just be destroyed, and underground was the safest place for people to go."

"Well, we don't get wars here. I guess if a few Saiyans really duked it out close to our town, this shelter wouldn't be such a bad idea. And anyway, it'll probably make Dana feel better if we helped her get it ready."

"I wish we weren't Earthlings."

I looked up at Chichi and frowned. "What's that all of a sudden? What's wrong with us? Would you rather be cold and heartless like the Saiyans?"

"I'm just saying that a little power would be nice. I hate feeling like this. I hate feeling like we have to make shelters and hide from the world all the time. If we were Saiyans, we could fight back, even if just a little."

I rolled my eyes and walked past her, entering Dana's house. She came running up behind me, though, and kept talking.

"Think about it, Bulma. Sure, we might get into a few fights here and there, but we'd watch each other's backs and we wouldn't have to hide anymore."

"And what?" I asked. "We'd challenge the King and beat him? Yeah, then we could take over this planet and become queens." I let out a bitter laugh and Chichi frowned at me.

"At least we wouldn't have to cower in fear every time a Saiyan comes near our town. We wouldn't have to watch Dana and the others cry as they hide in the corners of their homes. I don't like being so helpless. I feel like I was meant for more than this, and the Saiyans are just trying to hold us down."

Chichi and I looked up when Dana came up the stairs from the basement and looked at us.

"So you really moved all that garbage in front of the stairs?" I asked with a smile, and she smiled back at me, her face wrinkling when the edges of her mouth push up her cheeks.

"And you wouldn't believe what I looks like down there. It's huge. It's almost the size of this floor of the house. We could fit food and water down there for a month and survive if we had to. Everyone could fit down there, too. We could all survive together."

I couldn't help but smile. Dana was such a cute old lady. She was so optimistic, despite the position we were all in.

Dana, unlike the rest of us, remembered her time on Earth. She'd spent most of her life there. She told me all about the epidemic and the plans to move to a new planet and rebuild the human race there. She told me all the stories she knew, and I cherished every one of them. Without the history of my race, the Earthlings, I would've felt detached from them. Without my people's history, I would've feel more like the Saiyans, and that would've kill me.

"So, Chichi tells me you need some help moving some of the old furniture. I didn't know that there was anything down there."

"Oh, yes. There are chairs and couches. The cushions are a bit torn up, but I can sew them up in no time at all. We can leave some of them down there, too, just in case we have to go down there. You girls can try them out and tell me if they're comfortable."

"Sounds good to me," Chichi said, walking down the stairs. I followed her down there and looked around. None of the other houses had basements, and this was the first one I'd seen in a long time. And it was quite large. I had no idea how anyone dug a hole this big in the ground and then put a house on top of it, but it was sturdy and it stood for longer than I'd been here. There were shelves on the walls, and it looked like it could use some cleaning, but other than that, it looked usable.

"Here. Help me with this one," Chichi said, grabbing one side of a small couch. "Let's bring this one upstairs so Dana can sew the tears in the pillows. We can probably leave it up there, too. We might have to throw out her old couch. It's starting to grow mold, and we can't get it out this time."

I nodded and grabbed the other side of the couch and we hauled it up the stairs. Chichi dropped her side first when we reached the top and started complaining about her muscles. I put my side down and kept quiet about my aches and pains. Sure, they hurt, but I knew complaining didn't make them any better.

"Well, go ahead. Tell me if they're good enough to sit on," Dana said to us. Chichi sat down first and bounced up and down for a second. Then she grinned and nodded. "Go on, Bulma. Try it out."

I nodded, but before I could sit down, someone outside called my name. I walked to the door and looked outside.

"Bulma! Over here!"

It was Juuhachi. It was rare to see her so enthusiastic, so I hurried out of Dana's house and jogged over to her.

Juuhachi was a natural blonde, which was rare to see these days on Earthlings. Dana said that most blondes back on Earth dyed their hair, and after living so long on this planet, those people grew their hair out, and the dyes slowly disappeared. My hair was even stranger—a bright aquamarine blue. The first time I ever encountered a Saiyan, I was left alone because they thought I was one of them. And from what Dana told me, she'd never heard of an Earthling with naturally blue hair.

The Saiyans had all different natural hair colors, though. So my blue hair saved me on multiple occasions from when I first arrived on this planet. When the Saiyans thought I was one of them, they often left me alone. On the other hand, I knew that if they figured out that I was an Earthling, they would have captured me right away, especially with my abnormal hair. To them it would've been a rare oddity—something they could up my selling price for. And money was always on the Saiyans' minds.

"Juuhachi," I said, nearing her. She was always with Launch, but I couldn't see the other blonde-haired girl anywhere. And then I saw Juuhachi's expression. It wasn't so much enthusiastic as it was nervous. "What's the matter? Are you all right?"

She looked at me quickly, her eyes darting around, and I began to get nervous myself. She was never like this. She was always the stoic, calm and cool type. And this side of her made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight.

"They got her," Juuhachi said quickly, her eyes darting around again. I froze. What was she talking about? She couldn't mean the Saiyans, could she? They never came around here.

"Juuhachi, tell me what happened? Where's Launch?"

Chichi was at my side in the next second and I jumped. I didn't even hear her walk over.

"What's going on?" she asked us, but I didn't reply to her. I couldn't give her an answer when I didn't know what the hell was going on. I looked at Juuhachi again.

"Where's Launch?" I asked again, trying to sound more forceful. "What do you mean, they got her?"

Chichi jumped and shrieked and I glared at her. "They got her? You don't mean the Saiyans got Launch, do you? That's impossible. They don't come around here unless they're looking for someone to fight."

"No… We were down at the river when he spotted us. Launch got all freaked out and ran, and he chased her when he saw her. I just hid until he was gone, but when I came out, Launch was gone, too. I didn't even hear her scream… I don't even know what happened."

"You weren't…" I gulped. "You didn't lead anyone here, did you? You made sure you weren't being followed, didn't you, Juuhachi? Please tell me you at least turned around to look behind you on your way back here."

"Are you kidding?" She was beginning to get hysterical now, but I couldn't calm her down in time. "That bastard took Launch! When I could finally stand up and get out of there, I ran as fast as I fucking could! I didn't turn around for anything! I just ran!"

"A Saiyan could have followed you here, you idiot!" Chichi screamed.

"Shh!" I hissed at her. "Both of you, get into Dana's house right now. We might need that shelter a little sooner than expected."

"What shelter?" Juuhachi asked, but I just shoved her along until she was inside the house and Dana was looking at the three of us worriedly.

"I heard you screaming," she said, "What's going on?"

"I think we should use your basement now, Dana," I said, and she jumped.

"But I haven't even sewn the couches yet. And there's no food or water down there, either. Why would we go down there now?"

"We might need to hide."

"Where's Launch? Wasn't she with you, Juuhachi?"

"Dana, please. Just listen to me for now. I want the three of you to go into the basement. I'm going to go look for Yamcha and Tien."

"I think they were both at Yamcha's house, last I saw," Chichi said and I nodded at her.

"Now, go down there and stay there until I get back, all right. I'll get Yamcha and Tien and then we're going to stay down there for a little while. Just until we know that we're safe. Okay?"

I waited until the three of them were in the basement and I shut the door behind them. I frowned when I noticed that it didn't even have a lock, and the door was practically off its hinges. It wasn't much of a safe place, but I didn't have the time to care. If it made Dana and the others feel safer, then it would have to do for now.

I exited the house and ran across the small stretch of dry land to the other side where Yamcha's house was. I always thought that there was once a road that ran in the middle of the town, but if there was, it was covered up with dirt and gravel now.

When I reached Yamcha's house, I literally barged through the door and looked around wildly.

"Yamcha?" I called. "Tien? Are you guys in here?"

I didn't hear a reply and I pursed my lips, leaving the house. I headed for Tien's home instead. When I reached it, I ran through the open doorway and looked around. I sighed with relief when the two of them were sitting at a table on two high bar stools.

"Bulma, look at this," Yamcha exclaimed. "Tien and I patched this baby up." He pointed at the tabletop. "She's looks almost brand new, doesn't she?"

"You guys need to come with me right now," I said, and they looked at me curiously. I was almost out of breath, and I could feel my nerves getting tighter. "Juuhachi might have led a Saiyan here, and you guys need to come over to Dana's place and get in her basement."

"She finally cleared that place out, huh?" Yamcha said with a smirk. "That old lady's just filled with surprises."

"Yamcha, now's not the time," Tien said, slapping him over the head once. "Did you hear what Bulma just said? Saiyans could be on their way here at this very moment."

"But Dana's basement?" Yamcha frowned. "That place couldn't protect us from another Earthling, let alone a Saiyan. What're you thinking, Bulma?"

I just stared at him for a moment, hoping he'd get the idea. It wasn't for safety as much as it was for feeling safe. I just didn't want to see Dana panic. I didn't want to see Chichi stop smiling. I didn't want to see Juuhachi lose hope. I had no idea where Launch was. I had no idea if she was going to be all right. And all I could do was hope that my family here could stay together. I just wanted them to feel like everything was going to be okay, even when I knew how bad things could get in the blink of an eye.

"Come on, Yamcha," Tien said, staring at me for a few seconds before grabbing the other man's arm and dragging him off of his chair and out the door. I got the feeling that he understood what I was doing. I followed them outside and we walked quickly towards Dana's house.

Then, suddenly, Yamcha's finger pointed to the sky and his face went white. I didn't want to look, but I couldn't help it. I prayed and begged that it wasn't what I feared it was, but I knew it was useless. Tien's eyes darted to the sky as well and he froze, standing still, unmoving.

"Saiyan!" Yamcha screamed, and he ripped himself free of Tien's grasp, dashing for Dana's house and the false safety of her basement. Tien seemed to realize that he wasn't moving, and in the next moment, he sprinted for the house as well.

I didn't know what I was doing. All I could think about was the Saiyan in the sky, just standing there, midair, with his arms crossed and a light smirk on his face. He was staring right at me with dark brown eyes, but he wasn't moving either.

 _This can't be happening_. Those words were on repeat in my brain, playing over and over again like some kind of mantra. _Please, no. This can't be happening. This can't be happening_. I'd lived my life here for so long. It was just me and my friends, staying alive. Avoiding trouble. We never did anything to you, so why would you come here now? Why would you smile as you float up there like you own us already? We know we can't beat you. We know that our lives are in your hands. But why do you have to prolong this? If you want to kill me, then kill me. If you want to capture me, then capture me. If you want to sell me, then just fucking do it already.

As soon as the Saiyan uncrossed his arms and started getting closer to the ground, I unfroze, and turned and sprinted towards Dana's house.

But then I froze up again.

I couldn't go in there. I couldn't lead this savage to my family. That basement wasn't even protection against this monster. He could break that creaky door with the flick of a finger. He could kill Yamcha and Tien with his eyes closed. He could take Juuhachi and Chichi and sell them as concubines. He could torture Dana for information on the other Earthlings living on this planet. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let my friends get hurt.

I turned and darted away from Dana's house. I doubted the Saiyan missed Yamcha and Tien run inside, but I knew that I was much more of a prize to them, and maybe, with some good luck, I could distract him long enough for him to forget about them.

But when I was barely a ten-second sprint away from Dana's house, the Saiyan flew right in front of me, barely an inch from my face, and I fell backwards, listening to his disgusting laugh as my behind hit the ground hard. He landed a few yards ahead of me and stood there for a moment.

"What did you find, Crol?"

My head whipped around when I heard a voice from behind and I found another Saiyan, standing not far off from my back. I wanted to cry. I could barely breathe. I didn't know if they wanted to capture me or kill me, but either fate was as bad as the other. I didn't know which one I'd prefer.

"I don't know, Regnar. She looks like an Earthling, but she's got blue hair like a Saiyan. What does that make her? I don't know."

"I know. It makes her valuable. It makes her expensive." The Saiyan behind me laughed from his gut, and I could almost hear the saliva gushing around in his mouth as he spoke.

"Good. I've been looking for a big break for months now. This little lady should catch me a huge loot."

"Whoa, there, Regnar. Hold on a minute. Sure, she's probably worth a lot of money, but that don't mean we should sell her."

"What else do you want to do with her?"

The Saiyan named Regnar let out another throaty laugh, and then spit onto the ground next to me, making me jump. Crol then laughed, too.

"Oh, I get it. I haven't seen money in a while, but I haven't seen such a fine looking Earthling female in even longer."

"And when we're done with her, we can sell her anyway. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect, Crol. You always have the best ideas."

I quickly stood, and the two Saiyans looked at me curiously. It didn't take a high amount of intelligence to know that Earthlings couldn't even compare to Saiyan newborns when it came to brute strength and speed, and pretty much every other physical capability. So, it was no surprise that the two Saiyans expressions were that of curious animals.

"What's she doing, Regnar?" Crol asked, and Regnar shrugged. They both just watched me.

"Oh, come on. Let's just grab her and get outta here. We've got the blonde female, too, you know. She won't sell at such a high price like this one, but she's still pretty rare because of that blonde hair of hers."

Regnar started walking towards me and I backed away slowly, deep down knowing that it was useless to run, and I'd be going in the direction of Dana's house and the others if I tried to get away anyway. And I wanted them to stay away from my family. If they took me, nothing would make me happier than to know that Chichi and the others were safe.

"Don't worry, Earthling. I like that blue hair you've got a hell of a lot better than that blonde bitch's. I'm gonna spend all my time with you."

I jumped. They were talking about Launch. That meant that these were the Saiyans that took her. Maybe if they took me, I could help her to escape. Even if it got me killed, I was going to help her get away. It was all I could think about. It was the only thought that prevented me from breaking down. This was my worst fear, coming to life. I had to focus on something else, and saving Launch was about the only thing I could think of to distract myself.

"You can't hog her, Regnar," Crol whimpered. "I want to fuck the blue-haired Earthling, too, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah. You'll get your turn, trust me. I'm just excited, is all. I've never even heard of a blue-haired Earthling female. This has got to be the rarest one I've ever seen so far. We're gonna have our fun with her, and then we're gonna be the richest fucking people on the planet. Talk about rising to the top, huh? We couldn't have gotten any luckier."

"Then let's just go already, before someone finds us and tries to take her away."

"You're kidding, right? Nobody comes out here."

"We did."

"That's because you got us lost and—"

I flash of light burst in the sky above and the ground shook as a crash like thunder roared all around. Then a blast hit the ground, right between the two bickering Saiyans, who jumped into the sky to avoid getting hit by the blast. I fell onto my back, and dirt and rocks scratched my face and arms as they shot out at me from where the blast made contact with the ground.

I quickly turned to the sky to find another Saiyan. Like the other arrogant bastards, his arms were crossed and he looked down at me and the other two Saiyans. But unlike the others, he didn't wear a haughty smirk. Instead, he wore a tight frown, and his eyes narrowed at the other two of his kind.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Regnar shouted up at the Saiyan, and at that the newcomer smirked.

"What's that, scum? Did you say that you were going to hand over that female to me and be on your merry way?"

"Fuck off!" Crol screamed, shooting a blast of light at the Saiyan. I turned away as the flash blinded me momentarily, and when I looked back up at the sky, the three of them were gone.

"Bulma!"

I immediately stood and whipped around when I heard my name. Chichi was running out of Dana's house and coming straight at me.

" _No_!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, " _Chichi, go back_!" I felt like crying, but I couldn't. The tears would only make her want to run faster, but I needed her to leave. I needed her to be safe.

"Hey, Regnar, look. There's another one!"

I whipped around at the Saiyan and balled my fists. " _If you touch her, I'll kill you_!"

For a moment there was silence. And then there was laughter. I knew it wasn't the time for heroics, but I felt my face flush. What in the world was I thinking? The last thing I wanted to do was try to intimidate these Saiyans. They were literally fighting over me, and I was practically asking them to fight harder and try to piss me off by acting this way. I had to think about Chichi right now, but I didn't know how I could save her at this point.

"Bulma!"

Another voice called my name and then I saw Yamcha running out of the house, coming towards me. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing then.

"You idiots!" I shouted at the two of them, crying. "Get back in the goddamn house, you fucking idiots! They didn't know you were there! They would have left you alone!" I dropped to my knees. There was nothing I could do now. I just hoped with everything I had that the others wouldn't try to come outside. They didn't understand what would happen to them if they were found. They didn't get it like I did.

Another brilliant flash of light blinded me momentarily, but when I got my vision back, I looked up at the house and tears started flowing down my face. Dana was running out of the house towards me, her face twisted in angst and fear. Why was she coming this way? Why didn't they all just stay hidden? They would have been fine. They would have been safe.

"Just get the female and get outta here!" I heard one of the Saiyans shout and I whipped around to find one of the two flying towards me. Half his face was covered in blood and a huge gash ran down his right arm. He looked furious. I couldn't move. Then he stopped and turned, continuing his attack on the other Saiyan with his partner.

Another flash of light blinded me, just as Dana and the others slid to a halt by my side and started dragging me to my feet and pulling me towards the house.

"We have to get inside, Bulma!" Yamcha screamed at me. And that's when I snapped.

"You fucking moron! That basement isn't going to protect me! It's not going to protect any of you! But if you'd just stayed down there like you were supposed to, then you'd all be fine. Now look what you're doing! You're leading them straight to Tien and Juuhachi! If you want to die so badly, then stay away from them! Stay away from that house! If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to protect them!"

Another flash came, and this time it shook the ground and the four of us fell. Dana cried out and Chichi quickly moved to check if the older woman was all right. Yamcha kept his hands on my arm and constantly tried to drag me to my feet and he still moved towards the house.

I ripped myself free of him and stumbled backward. He cussed and reached for me again, but I slapped his hand away. Maybe he thought I wasn't thinking straight or something, but I had to get away from them. I had to distract the Saiyans when someone killed the other and they finally came for me. But I couldn't figure out how to make my friends let me go. They had to get to the basement and they had to leave me behind, but they weren't going to do it and that knowledge was killing me. I just hoped that Juuhachi and Tien knew what was best for them and didn't come outside.

"Come here you little bitch!" one of the Saiyans yelled, and I yelped when I realized that he was right behind me.

"Bulma!" Yamcha shouted. "Hey, you! Get away from her!"

The Saiyan named Regnar didn't look so good. He was covered in wounds and blood gushed from a large scrape along his forehead. He reached forward and grabbed me around my neck as Yamcha charged him. The Saiyan just swatted him away like a fly. He landed on the ground not too far away and didn't get up.

I gasped and choked as he lifted me off the ground by my neck and laughed through his bloody teeth. He growled at me with a smile and I struggled even harder.

But then he did something I wasn't expecting. He started to fly up into the air, with my neck still in his large hand. I could almost look down to see myself getting farther and farther away from the ground. If I fell, there was no way I would survive.

"If I can't have you," he snickered, "No one can!"

And then he dropped me.

I felt nothing for only a split second. And then I was screaming. I wasn't stable. I tossed and turned in the air and I didn't know which way was up anymore. I closed my eyes.

And then it stopped.

I wasn't moving anymore. I quickly opened my eyes and looked up at a man. Time seemed to freeze in that instant, and I felt like I was looking at a photograph for hours. I could see each of his features like a magnifying glass, and flawless was an understatement.

His spiky hair was ebony black, but they didn't even come close to the darkness in his deep onyx eyes. His intense gaze alone sent cold chills up and down my spine, and he wasn't even looking at me.

His tight blue tank-top magnified every muscle in his upper body. His arms were flawlessly layered in muscle. The scowl placed firmly on his face wasn't inviting at all, but the simple shape of him made my heart flutter. I even found myself holding my breath for an instant.

He had to have been the most divine creature I had ever laid my eyes on.

And then I snapped out of it.

This man was a Saiyan. He was the Saiyan who had decided that I was worth fighting two of his kind over. He wanted me. He wanted me for things I didn't want to think about. I felt like vomiting after have such ludicrous thoughts about a Saiyan. He wasn't a man. He was a monster, and my previous thoughts made me hate myself in that moment.

But then he lowered me onto the ground with gentle precision and I couldn't help but stare at him in wonder. He was beautiful and gentle. And I'd never seen a Saiyan like him before. The others had been ugly and violent and self-serving, but this one…

I shook my head and felt like punching myself. What in the world was I thinking? I was being an idiot at the wrong time. He may have saved me, and he might not have thrown me against the ground, but I knew that was only because he didn't want to damage his merchandise. If I was in perfect condition, he would probably get a lot more money for me. Or maybe he wanted to keep me for himself.

The man turned when Regnar shouted something at him. I couldn't understand him because his words were mixed with the gurgling of the blood in his mouth as he rushed the ebony-haired Saiyan.

But in one final burst of bright light, Regnar was dissolved, midair. I couldn't see his partner, so I could only assume that this Saiyan had killed him as well. They weren't the kind of species to let the losers of a fight go free.

And when he turned, I expected myself to scream or run, but I did neither. Thoughts of getting away didn't even occur to me. Thoughts of protecting my friends didn't even cross my mind. All I could think about were the onyx eyes burning holes in my body as the Saiyan looked me up and down.

He didn't look at me like I was a piece of meat, like the others did. He looked at me curiously, like he expected me to try to do something, like get away or god knew what. I didn't do anything, though. I felt like I couldn't. I knew I couldn't get away if I tried, so it didn't even occur to me. I didn't understand why my impression of this Saiyan was different from all the rest. It was different from my whole life's worth of judgment and hating their species. But this time was different. That was all I could think about.

"What?"

I froze. He spoke to me. His voice was beautiful. It was deep and arrogant and annoyed, but it was beautiful and I had no idea why. I wanted him to say something else. I wanted to hear his voice again.

"Aren't you going to take me?" I asked. It was the only thing I could think of. He won his fight with the other two, and that made me his prize. I suddenly remembered that I should try to ask for my friends' freedom. Or beg if I had to. I would do it for them. I would get on all fours.

The Saiyan smirked and crossed his arms, standing over me. "If that's what you want," he replied, squatting down and looking at me with even more curiosity. Maybe that's what it was. Maybe he was interested in my hair or something, and that was why he hadn't done anything to me yet. That had to be it.

"Fine, then take me. But let my friends go. Please."

"Where? Right here? In the dirt?" he asked. He still wore that arrogant smirk. I didn't understand his question. Was he just toying with me?

"Are you going to let them go or not? I'm more valuable than them anyway. You have no need for them if you've got me."

"Is that so?"

I just didn't get him. What was he playing at? I just nodded. "Have you looked at my hair or what? I'm probably the only Earthling on this planet, maybe even in the universe, with this color hair. That makes me one of a kind. It makes me invaluable. I'm all you need."

The Saiyan chuckled and then stood up, looking down at me again. He didn't say anything in reply and I hoped he wasn't thinking about my friends. I could still see Chichi tending to Dana off to my left, and Yamcha was beginning to stir and wake from his fall. Thankfully Tien and Juuhachi were still nowhere to be seen.

I was getting impatient. The spiky-haired Saiyan was looking around now, and his eyes fixed on Chichi and Dana. He took one step towards them and I instinctively grabbed his ankle to try and stop him. I knew it was stupid and useless, but I didn't care. I couldn't just let him go near them. Not Chichi. Not Dana.

"What?" he asked me again, pausing and looking down.

"You don't need them," I said, my voice a half-whisper and a partial beg. "Just leave them out of this."

"Out of what, exactly?" he asked, and then closed his eyes. When he opened them, he wore a sarcastic expression filled with pride and cunning. I didn't like the look. "I only want to look at them. I won't do anything else." He glanced at my hand on his ankle, but I didn't let go. I couldn't understand why he didn't just kick me off. He could have with little to no effort, but he stood there, and waited for me to let him go.

"Is this just some game to you?" I asked. "Are you that heartless? Just do what you're going to do and get over yourself. You're not a god. You're just a filthy Saiyan brute."

At that he kicked me off, and he gave me a light kick to my stomach that sent me into a fit of coughs, too. Then he was in front of Dana. I didn't even see him move.

"Stop!" I screamed, but he didn't turn. I watched helplessly as he lifted Dana off the ground by the back of her shirt. Chichi screamed and tears flowed down her cheeks like rivers as she begged the Saiyan to release the old woman.

I forced myself to stand and quickly run as fast as I could to Chichi's side. And then, without thinking, my open palm shot out and I slapped the Saiyan hard against the side of his face.

He must have been unprepared, because his head snapped to the right and he froze, staring wide-eyed at the ground. At first I thought he was stunned into silence, but when he just released Dana and she hit the ground with a thud, I could see the white rage painted on his face.

He whipped on me and his hand reached out and grabbed my throat, squeezing without remorse. I choked for a few seconds, my eyes wide. I knew his strength was going to kill me in less than ten seconds at this rate. He was going to crush my windpipe.

"— _hair is so valuable—if you kill her now, you'll never—do you know how much money you could get for her—_ "

Chichi was rambling as she screamed at the Saiyan, trying everything to get him to stop, and just before I thought it was too late, he dropped me.

I was unconscious before I hit the ground.


End file.
